When Liberians went to the polls to elect a president last fall, 1,801 citizen observers fanned out across the country to observe voting, counting, tallying and recording of results. They were part of the Elections Coordinating Committee (ECC), a coalition of more than 30 civil society organizations that observed all aspects of the election process, which it found to be “free, fair and transparent.”

When the Liberian legislature convened in January, about 60 percent of its members were new, as were most of their staff members.  As the new lawmakers got their bearings and learned their way around the Capitol, their staffers were learning the best ways to support their bosses through a first-of-its-kind week of training sessions for legislative staff.

Update: Read the press release the ECC released Oct. 13 condemning recent disturbing public statements made by certain politicians.